Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep tie for Best Actress at the Critics' Choice Awards

Meryl Streep, left, and Sandra Bullock kiss as they tie for the award of best actress on stage at the 15th Annual Critics Choice Movie Awards on Friday, Jan. 15, 2010, in Los Angeles. At background right is Bradley Cooper. (AP)

LOS ANGELES - Iraq war drama "The Hurt Locker" and its
director took top honors at the Critics' Choice Awards, while Quentin
Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" and James Cameron's "Avatar" won the
most awards.

Director-producer Kathryn Bigelow was named best director at Friday's ceremony for "Locker," winner of the best picture prize.

Accepting
the best picture award, screenwriter-producer Mark Boal said the award
belongs to Bigelow "for her singular vision, for her endless
inspiration and for never taking no as an answer."

Bigelow had
thanked Boal when she accepted the director's honor, saying, "I stand
here really because of one man, and that's Mark Boal."

"It's
wonderful to have this honor," she continued, "but the recognition
should also go to the men and women who are in the field to this day."

"Crazy
Heart" was a double winner, with Jeff Bridges claiming the best actor
prize for his turn as hard-drinking country singer Bad Blake. The
film's theme, "The Weary Kind," won for best song.

"Up" won a pair of prizes, too: Best animated feature and best score.

"Nine," which came into the contest tied with "Basterds" with a leading 10 nominations, ended up winless.

The
"Basterds" cast was the critics' pick for best ensemble. The film's
villain, Christoph Waltz, was named best supporting actor and Tarantino
won for his original screenplay.

Actresses Sandra Bullock, left, and Meryl Streep are seen on stage as they accept the best actress award at the 15th Annual Critics Choice Movie Awards on Friday, Jan. 15, 2010, in Los Angeles. (AP)

"There's really only one group
of people to thank," Tarantino said, "and that's the actors who
actually took it from the printed page and put it up on the screen. My
material is not easy. It's hard. I cannot have dumb actors do my
material."

"Avatar" was named best action movie and it collected
a heap of technical awards, including honors for cinematography,
editing, art direction, sound and visual effects.

There were actually two winners in the actress category, with Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock tying for the honor.

Streep said she loved playing Julia Child in "Julie & Julia."

"I'm
really, really thrilled because I really love what I do," she said. "I
love to work, and I love food and I love sex. And so did Julia Child.
So it wasn't that much of a stretch."

Bullock, who won for her
performance in "The Blind Side," said she hadn't prepared a speech, but
she used her time at the microphone to honor her fellow actresses and
call for compassion for people who are suffering.

"We're all so
lucky to be here tonight when so many others are in pain," she said. "I
hope we can all send good love and thoughts and whatever we can."

Jason
Reitman, who won best adapted screenplay for "Up in the Air" with
co-writer Sheldon Turner, thanked his father, filmmaker Ivan Reitman,
calling him "one of the best storytellers I know and ... the person who
taught me everything."

"I'm so proud I made this film with you, Dad," he said.

Other
honors went to Mo'Nique, who was named best supporting actress for her
visceral portrayal of an abusive mother in "Precious"; Saoirse Ronan,
who won best young actress for her work in "The Lovely Bones"; and "The
Hangover," which was voted best comedy.

"District 9" won for best makeup, "Grey Gardens" was best TV movie and "The Cove" was named best documentary.

Winners
are chosen by members of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the
largest such group in North America comprising 200 TV, radio and online
film critics.